


A Little While

by krabapple



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-22
Updated: 2011-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-27 20:43:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/299860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krabapple/pseuds/krabapple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The TARDIS lands in 1997 Ottery St. Catchpole.  Saving the world, or at least Harry Potter, ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little While

**Author's Note:**

> Written prior to DH.
> 
> Spoilers through the beginning of Doctor Who (2005) Season Two.

They step out of the TARDIS onto the soft grass, and the Doctor sniffs the air. Tentatively. This is a sign to Rose that they haven't quite ended up where he thought they would, but since they haven't dropped dead from toxic fumes in the past five seconds, she doesn't really think it matters.

"Ottery St. Catchpole," the Doctor announces, turning to her with a grin.

Rose looks skeptical.

"No, really. Ottery St. Catchpole . . . 1997, I think. Summer, by the feel of it."

"You got all that from sniffing the air?" Rose crosses her arms, but can't quite keep a smile from the corners of her mouth.

"Nah. TARDIS told me. I just do that sniffing thing to keep you on your toes."

"Ta."

The Doctor shrugs, that same grin still on his face. "Apparently it works, doesn't it?" He then takes off down a nearby hill at a pace that forces Rose to jog a bit to catch up with him.

When she does, she says, "Why Ottery St. Catchpole, 1997?"

"Dunno," the Doctor replies cheerfully. "That's the adventure, isn't it?" He winks, and this time Rose smiles outright.

They are no more than twenty meters from the TARDIS down the hill when a friendly looking, but still somewhat imposing, red-headed woman with a round face comes into sight, heading, no, marching, straight for them.

"Oh, good. Locals!" the Doctor says.

"Doctor!" the red-headed woman calls out. "It's lovely to see you! Minerva said you'd probably make it in from Istanbul tonight, but it seems you're ahead of schedule."

Rose looks at the Doctor. "Incredibly prescient locals?" he says to Rose, waving at the woman. He and Rose stop where they are so the woman can come up the hill to catch up with them.

"Doctor Smith, how nice to meet you," the woman says again. "I'm Molly Weasley, of course."

The Doctor's face brightens. "Molly Weasley! How nice to meet you!" He takes Molly's hand and shakes it vigorously.

"Yes, well, as I said, Minerva mentioned you might be making it here by the end of the evening, but we all saw your portkey land from down by the lake, and we're happy to have you as our guest, of course. Rather large for a portkey, isn't it?" Molly nods over the Doctor's shoulder.

The Doctor and Rose follow Molly's gaze to the TARDIS. "Yes, well. Rather large, perhaps. But I'm attached to it," the Doctor says, smiling fondly.

"Yes, of course," Molly says, smiling. Her gaze turns back to the Doctor and Rose and lands firmly on Rose. "And this would be . . ."

"This is Rose Tyler." The Doctor ushers Rose forward ever so slightly, and Rose smiles. "She's my companion," the Doctor says brightly.

Molly's forehead wrinkles a bit at this, so the Doctor goes on. "My . . . friend? Traveling buddy? Partner?" He stops and snaps his fingers. "Research assistant!"

"Ah, yes." Molly's face clears, though it doesn't escape the Doctor that there's now a shade of suspicion in her eyes that wasn't there before. "Research assistant. She's doing a fellowship with you in Defense this term?"

"In Defense, yes, quite right. This term. At the school where I'm teaching."

Rose clears her throat. The Doctor abruptly stops babbling.

"Professor McGonagall said you had already accepted the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts this year." Molly Weasley's voice is, suddenly, surprisingly formal.

"Hogwarts! I'm the DADA professor. Yes, right, _brilliant_!" the Doctor says.

Rose elbows him in the side, but the Doctor continues to grin like a madman.

"So, Molly Weasley . . ." the Doctor nods his head. "Molly Weasley. Oh. Molly. _Weasley_."

Rose gives him a look that signifies that she thinks his head is about to fly right off his body if he doesn't slow down, but the Doctor just flashes her a wink.

"Molly Weasley. Formerly Prewett. Order of the Phoenix member. Mother to Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny. Wife to Arthur. Weasley. Fantastic!" The Doctor's nose wrinkles.

He turns to Rose. "And I, Doctor Smith, am the DADA professor at Hogwarts!" Rose rolls her eyes.

"That's about the gist of it, yes," Molly says, raising an eyebrow. Rose hides her smile at the sheer force of the "mum" look on Molly's face.

"If you don't mind, Doctor Smith," Molly starts.

"Yes?"

Molly stops, then starts again with a sigh. "If you don't mind, we seem to have a bit of a grindylow infestation in our lake. Don't know how it happened, but they've started to become a real problem. Harry and Lupin have spent most of the morning trying to sort it out, but they could always use another hand. Do you mind? I'll have luncheon on soon, but until then . . ."

"Don't mind at all! Happy to help!" The Doctor puts his hands in his pockets and starts off on what can only be described as a jaunt down the hill.

Molly looks at Rose. "Do you find him exhausting, dear? He's a bit . . . larger than life."

"You don't know the half of it," Rose says, starting down the hill with Molly.

***

Rose almost has to reach a full run this time in order to catch the Doctor after she and Molly part ways, Molly to head toward a large, many-leveled and lopsided house that strongly reminds Rose of something out of a nursery rhyme, and Rose to find the Doctor.

She finally catches up, and the Doctor takes her hand and hops. Rose laughs, and hops along with him for a bit, until she asks, "Why are we hopping?"

"Not for our lives, this time!" the Doctor says, stopping and letting go of Rose's hand, turning to face her.

"Are you drunk? I didn't know Time Lords could get drunk."

"Ha, ha, my funny valentine, my humorous Rose."

Rose puts her hands on her hips. "Ha, ha, Doctor. Defense Against the Dark Arts? Portkeys? Hog-some-thing-or-other?"

"Hogwarts, Rose! Hogwarts! We, Rose Tyler, you and I, have ended up with wizards!"

"Wizards?"

"Well, wizards and witches."

"What?"

"Wizards. People who can do magic."

"I know what a wizard is," Rose says.

"Do you now, Rose Tyler?" The Doctor starts walking again, this time a little more soberly. "Wizards and witches, men and women who can do magic. They're real, in your time, in your world."

"C'mon, Doctor."

"No, really. They've hidden from non-magical people for centuries, but they exist. They have their own culture, their own schools – Hogwarts, here in the UK – their own conflicts, their own abilities. Here, on Earth, in 1997, there are people who know magic is real and how to perform it. It's amazing. I haven't run into wizards since, well, Merlin. Now, he was something else." The Doctor tugs on his ear.

"Merlin was a real man."

"Well, not King Arthur's pawn or anything, but yes. Helped him out of a bit of a jam, I did. That Morgana, she was pretty nasty . . . that nose . . . ." The Doctor shudders.

"So wait a second. You're telling me that magic exists, and that people who can use it are called wizards, and they live side by side with people like me, and we don't know."

"Hmmm . . . more or less."

"How can they keep that big of a secret?"

The Doctor shrugs. "They've been doing it for ages and ages. They're good at it. They have a word for you non-magical people . . . Munsters . . . no, that's cheese . . . Mufflers . . . oh, yes – Muggles!"

"Muggles."

"Muggles. You, Rose Tyler, are a Muggle!" the Doctor smiles.

"Because I can't do magic." Rose considers. "Wait. I can't do magic, can I?"

"Oh goodness, no."

Rose stops the Doctor with a look.

"I mean to say . . . no."

Rose punches him in the arm.

"Hey! With the punching. Magical powers are usually inherited; they tend to run in families. Sometimes children with magical ability _are_ born to otherwise normal families, and they're invited to take up magical education later."

"So my mum's not a witch, so I'm not."

"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say Jackie isn't a . . ."

Rose punches him again, but the Doctor laughs. "Again, ow, with the punching!" he manages.

They walk some more in amiable silence until a small lake pops into view, surrounded by a few people, most of them redheads like Molly Weasley. The Doctor stops, his coat billowing out slightly behind him, so Rose does, too.

"Ottery St. Catchpole. 1997. And I'm the DADA professor? Well, not me, but some bloke whom I'm pretending to be, well, not pretending exactly . . ." the Doctor trails off, scratches his nose, pauses. "Something's not right here."

"I was wondering when we'd get to that part," Rose says.

"Somehow I've grown predictable, have I?"

"A bit."

"Well, cheer up Rose Tyler, because we're about to make some magic." The Doctor's grin bursts out again, and Rose groans.

***

The lake is, indeed, surrounded by people – more people than Rose and the Doctor had first imagined. A large number of them are redheads, and most of them are lounging about in bathing suits on the grass around the lake or on the dock. But there's also a teenage girl with bushy brown hair, a skinny black-haired boy with glasses, and a brown-haired man kneeling on the shore by the far side, and it's them the Doctor heads for. They're almost upon the trio when the Doctor's hand shoots out and grabs Rose's wrist, and he laughs.

"Harry! Harry's been trying to deal with the grindylows. Brilliant!" he says, loud enough for one of the red-haired boys to look their way.

"What's a grindylow?" Rose whispers.

"No idea," the Doctor says, shaking his head but smiling.

Rose's eyebrows go up. "Okay then, who's Harry?"

"I think we are about to have the supreme honor of meeting the one and only Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived."

"And?"

"And . . . Harry Potter. Boy Who Lived. Defeated the evil wizard Voldemort at the age of one. Only person alive known to have survived the Killing Curse. About to rise up and put old Voldemort back in his place again if I'm not wrong, which, of course, I rarely am. Harry Potter! Well, this is a treat."

"Who's he, the skinny boy with the specs?"

"The skinny boy with the specs?" the Doctor echoes, aghast at Rose's rudeness. "Well. Yes, yes it appears he is. Still, we're about to meet Harry Potter!" He takes Rose's hand and keeps walking, until they are right upon Harry Potter.

In fact, Rose treads a little on Harry Potter's trainers. "Sorry," she says.

"Er . . . no problem," Harry says, straightening up, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. Rose nods a little acknowledgment into the slightly awkward silence.

"You must be Doctor Smith," the older man says, smiling politely, holding out his hand to shake.

The Doctor leans forward to take the proffered hand, and Rose doesn't miss the way his eyes light up. "Oh . . . you are . . . _magnificent_. Has anyone told you that? Oh, just brilliant, yes, you are." The Doctor keeps shaking the man's hand so hard Rose thinks his entire arm might fall off.

Harry Potter coughs.

"I, well, no . . . no one has ever told me that, not that I can recall, but . . . thank you?"

"You are welcome," the Doctor keeps hand shaking and grinning. "Just amazing."

"I. Yes, well. I'm Remus Lupin, a friend of the family's. It's nice to meet you." The smile on Remus' face is still polite, but he and the bushy-haired girl exchange a look.

"Oh! Remus Lupin! Aha! Of course. Brilliant!" If anything, the Doctor shakes even harder.

Rose clears her throat. "Doctor . . ."

"Yes, Rose?"

"Doctor, I think you're starting to scare them." Rose smiles awkwardly at the girl, Remus and Harry.

The Doctor drops Remus' hand. "Ah, well. I've just never met Professor Lupin before." Remus smiles, a little embarrassed, and the Doctor turns to the rest of the party.

"And this is . . . Harry Potter and . . . wait . . . Hermione Granger, yes?" The Doctor shakes their hands, albeit not as enthusiastically as he had shaken Lupin's.

"I'm Rose," Rose says, and shakes hands all around.

"Yes, Rose!" The Doctor turns to her as if he'd forgotten she was there, and Rose raises an eyebrow. "Rose here is my research assistant."

"I'm doing a fellowship this term," Rose adds helpfully. "In Defense." The Doctor shoots her an "atta girl" grin.

"Yes, well, that's lovely," Remus says. "I take it Molly sent you down here to help us with the grindylows?" he asks, all business.

"Yes, yes, she did," the Doctor answers, raising his eyebrows inquisitively. "I take it there's some sort of . . . infestation?"

"We don't know how it happened," Hermione says. "Grindylows aren't native to this part of the country; they had to have been introduced somehow."

"Probably by one of Fleur's relatives," Harry snickers.

"Harry! That's not nice!" Hermione protests. Harry makes an "I'm just saying" gesture and Hermione huffs, causing Harry to grin.

"Whether or not that's true," Remus goes on, "the fact is they've bred like mad. We've been trying to clear them out without doing them any harm –"

"Stunning them," Hermione adds.

"But it's not very efficient, and they are nasty about retaliation." Remus holds up an arm, where his sleeve has been rolled up just enough to show a large red bite.

"Ouch," Rose says.

"That's about the end of it, yes," Remus says. "Any thoughts, Doctor?"

"Well, I can have a look then, can't I?" the Doctor says cheerfully, putting on his spectacles and kneeling beside the lake water. Rose kneels, too, and can just make out opaque shapes dodging underneath the surface. There's a few minutes of silence while the Doctor and Rose peer in the lake water, and Remus eventually kneels on the other side of the Doctor.

The Doctor removes his glasses, his nose wrinkling. "Wait."

"What?" Remus asks, turning to the Doctor, along with Harry, Hermione and Rose.

"It's 1997."

"Last time we checked," Harry says dryly.

"Why aren't you the DADA professor?" the Doctor asks Remus.

Remus' polite smile doesn't waver from his face, but Rose notices that it starts to flicker out of his eyes. "I haven't had that job for years; not since Harry and Hermione here were third years."

"He left because Snape told the Ministry officials that he's a . . . well. It's Snape's fault," Harry says.

"Harry." Remus' voice has both a touch of warning and a touch of comfort in it. "That's not entirely true," he says, this time directed to the Doctor and Rose.

The Doctor's nose is still wrinkled, and now his forehead has started to match. "No, no. No. You're the DADA professor. Have been since . . . 1985. You should still be well into your tenure."

Remus' eyebrows go up. "Since 1985? I don't know who is giving you your information, my friend, but it's all wrong. I only taught at Hogwarts for a year, starting in 1993." He smiles and shakes his head.

The Doctor looks away, back over the lake. "One year? 1993? No, that's . . . not right." He turns to look back at Lupin, eyes now intense. "No, that's. That's wrong." He looks up at Rose. "There's something wrong with this world."

Rose hears Harry mutter, "Great. Another nutter for DADA," and Hermione's answering shush.

"Doctor, what is it?" Rose asks.

The Doctor looks from Harry to Remus. "You should . . . I shouldn't be teaching DADA this year, you should. You should have been since 1985. When Dumbledore first hired you. This is . . ."

"Doctor?" Rose asks again.

Remus opens his mouth as if he means to speak, but the Doctor cuts him off. "Where's Sirius?"

Hermione gasps, and Harry turns rigid. Remus recoils ever so slightly from the Doctor.

"What do you mean, 'Where's Sirius'?" This time it's Harry who speaks, and there's no mistaking the anger in his voice.

The Doctor ignores him. He keeps his gaze on Remus. "Where's Sirius?"

"Sirius is dead," Remus says simply.

"When?" the Doctor asks.

"Two years ago."

"How?"

"Fell through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries."

"Hmmm. That's not right, either. None of this is right." The Doctor pauses, but doesn't turn away from Remus.

"So you took over Sirius' guardianship of Harry when he died," the Doctor starts.

At this, both Harry and Remus look gobsmacked. "I . . . no." Remus says.

"No?"

"Sirius . . ." Remus stops, looks up at Harry, who is white around the lips but otherwise silent. "Harry's always been in the custody of his aunt and uncle."

"His aunt and uncle? Why not Sirius Black? Where the hell was he?" the Doctor asks.

"Azkaban," Harry says.

The Doctor's face goes dark. "I have been getting the wrong information. Someone had better start from the beginning."

And so, Remus does.

***

They are walking back to the Burrow for lunch, Molly having come out and told them there are chicken sandwiches, watermelon, and lemonade to be had. Rose is up ahead a bit, walking with Harry, Hermione, and Ron Weasley, while the Doctor and Remus Lupin walk a few meters behind them. The younger people are chatting; something Ron says must be funny to Rose, because she giggles, the sound of her laughter floating down on the wind to the Doctor. He smiles a bit, an unconscious reaction, as he and Lupin continue to walk side by side.

"It's not supposed to be like this, you know," the Doctor says, almost conversationally.

"Should I even ask how you might know that?" Remus asks.

"No."

"That's what I thought."

The Doctor shakes his head. "The Potters, James and Lily . . . that was a tragedy. But it was the _right_ tragedy, it made Harry's life possible. But this . . . Sirius going to Azkaban for something he didn't do; not raising Harry – you not being at Hogwarts. That's not the way it should be. Not the way it's meant to be."

"And how was it meant to be, Doctor?"

The Doctor looks up at Remus. "Not a lot of men would ask that question, Remus Lupin."

"I'm not a lot of men."

The Doctor tilts his head, keeps walking. "Indeed."

"Sirius Black should have raised Harry, brought him up in the wizarding world. Happy, healthy, probably a bit spoiled." A ghost of a smile whispers around Remus' lips. "Not too spoiled, because you would have been there, too." The smile goes away.

"You would have done that together, you know. James and Lily, they were your friends, too. And Sirius." The Doctor stops, flops his head a little. "Sirius was more than your friend."

Remus doesn't say anything, just keeps walking.

"Harry was always meant to think of Hogwarts as his home, but because you were there, teaching DADA for almost as long as he could remember, because he grew up literally at the base of Gryffindor Tower, where your and Sirius' quarters should be, not because he lived ten years in ignorance with an aunt and uncle who despised and deprived him."

They're almost to the door when Remus stops. "Is this supposed to make me feel better?" Remus asks.

"No. Does it?"

"Not in the least."

"I didn't think so." The Doctor scratches the back of his head. "And there's nothing I can do about it now, not a damn thing. Time has run its course here, even for the TARDIS."

"The TARDIS."

The Doctor smiles lopsidedly. "My rather large portkey."

"Oh. Your _portkey_ ," Remus says, opening the Burrow's back door.

"Don't say it like that, she might hear you," the Doctor says, and goes into the house.

***

Rose and the Doctor are the only ones left lingering at the table after Molly Weasley's excellent lunch. Everyone else has gone off to deal with grindylows, or, in Molly's case, to clean, or to swim and laze about in the summer sun. Ginny Weasley is off upstairs looking for an extra swimsuit for Rose. When Ginny offered to get one of Arthur's for the Doctor, he declined, and Rose had laughed so hard she'd nearly fallen out of her seat, thus beginning a ten minute conversation on whether the Doctor actually wore anything other than that suit, and if so, what.

The Doctor is winding up a lecture on how this body has sensitive skin when an owl appears at the kitchen window and ruffles its feathers, irritated. Rose turns to look.

"There's an owl at the window."

"So it would seem," the Doctor says.

At the sound of their voices, the owl swoops into the room, landing on the table in front of them. The Doctor picks up a stray piece of crust, and feeds it to the bird, which coos and holds its leg out to the Doctor, delicately.

"Right! Wizards and witches receive post by owl. I suppose this one wants me to take a letter." He starts to work on the knot holding a piece of parchment to the owl's leg.

"They receive post by owl? How do the owls even know where to deliver letters?"

"Magic, I suppose," the Doctor answers, grinning.

Rose rolls her eyes.

The Doctor finishes removing the letter from the leg of the owl and unrolls it while the owl starts drinking out of Rose's glass of lemonade.

"I don't think that's for _you_ , you know," Rose hisses.

"So?" the Doctor asks.

"So, isn't that against the law?"

The Doctor looks up, mouth slightly agape. "Rose. We are in 1997 Ottery St. Catchpole. With wizards. D'you really think mail theft is our biggest problem?"

Rose looks like she's about to come dangerously close to using a rude gesture, but instead sits back in her chair and rolls her eyes again.

"And, as it so happens, this letter is from me, so I don't think that's technically wrong. Well, if not wrong, then something."

"From you?"

"Well, from the _other_ Doctor John Smith."

"Right. What does it say?"

"Are you sure you want to be an accessory to this crime, Rose?" The Doctor puts on his specs and looks at her from over the piece of paper.

"You think you're funny, don't you?"

"It says that there was a change of plans; I met Minerva McGonagall in Italy this morning, and we are going to spend the next few days at a library in Rome – and doesn't that sound lovely? – doing some research on horcruxes. Not to expect us before next Sunday, at the earliest; will owl again later when we have a better idea of our itinerary." The Doctor folds the letter up and places it in the pocket of his jacket. "Well, that's fantastic. And convenient, that is."

"Convenient?" Rose asks.

"We'll get to keep our cover for the next few days, that's something."

"How long do you expect us to stay?"

"Until I can figure out what's wrong with this time. Or until McGonagall shows up with this Professor Smith and performs some rather nasty magic on us."

"She wouldn't do that . . . would she?"

"Oh, Minerva McGonagall? Oh, no. Of course not. Really, very nice woman, or so I've heard. A little strict, but fair, true Gryffindor up and down. Can turn into a cat, you know."

"Turn into a cat?"

"Sure. There are wizards who can turn into animals. Forget the name."

Rose looks skeptical.

"Look, you can ask Lupin, Sirius Black could turn into a dog . . ." the Doctor trails off.

"Doctor? What?"

"Horcruxes."

"Yeah?"

"They're doing research on horcruxes."

"Right, so?"

"Why would they be doing that, I wonder?"

"How should I know?" Rose asks.

The Doctor grins. "Rose Tyler, I think it's time we got you a book."

And that is how Rose, in a swimming suit, ends up spending most of her time that afternoon down by the lake reading _Hogwarts: A History_ , while the Doctor sneaks around upstairs in the Weasley's book collection, reading about the Dark Arts.

***

It is after dinner in the Weasley household, and the Doctor still hasn't appeared from upstairs. Rose is sitting comfortably talking to Ginny and Hermione as Ron and Harry play chess in front of the fire. Charlie, Fred and George are going over the latest account books of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, while Arthur reads the paper and Molly knits. Remus is bent over a book, taking notes.

"Since when do human beings need slaves?" Rose asks from her armchair, a S.P.E.W. pamphlet in her hand.

Ron groans loudly.

Hermione shoots Ron a glare, then turns back to Rose. "Exactly. It's appalling."

"Especially wizards," Rose continues. "You use magic for many household tasks, anyway. Why would you need even more help?"

Hermione beams at her.

"She'll be buying a membership and getting a button next," Ron says, causing Harry to look up from contemplating his next move and grin.

This time, it's Rose's turn to glare at Ron. "Can you change out Muggle money?" she asks Hermione.

"Of course!" Hermione answers. "I'd be happy to." She smiles smugly at Ron, causing Ginny to laugh.

Hermione starts to outline the benefits of a membership in S.P.E.W. when there are thundering footsteps on the stairs, and the Doctor appears in the doorway, pointing at Harry.

"You are a horcrux," he declares, his finger jabbing a little to emphasize his point.

Everyone in the room turns to stare at him.

The Doctor flops his head from side to side a bit. "Well, not all of you. Your scar, more precisely. Bit of Voldemort's soul embedded in your head. That's just really weird, isn't it? I mean, I've seen a lot of weird things, but a _soul_ stuck in someone's _head_ , well, you don't see that every day."

"Doctor. Rude," Rose says.

" _What_?" Harry manages.

The Doctor walks over to him, taking the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. "You are the sixth, and last, of Voldemort's horcruxes. It was unintentional, of course; he went to Godric's Hollow that night intending to make another horcrux, possibly from the murder of one or both of your parents. More likely from your own. But your mother's sacrifice allowed you to live, and Voldemort to be vanquished. That was supposed to be it; no sixth horcrux, but somehow the process went wrong, and in trying to kill you, Voldemort managed to embed a bit of his soul inside of you. It's why you're so connected to him; why you can feel his emotions, see his visions, even speak Parseltongue. It's also what went wrong in this world, what wasn't supposed to happen. It has set off a complete chain of events that also weren't supposed to occur."

By this point, the Doctor has kneeled down on the floor beside Harry, ready to examine his scar using the sonic screwdriver.

There is an air of shocked silence in the room until Arthur gets up and goes to where Harry and Ron are, and looks at the Doctor. Rose sees him exchange a look with Remus.

"That your wand there, is it?" Arthur asks, almost conversationally.

The Doctor looks up from what he is doing and says, "Er . . . yes, of course it is."

"It's metal," Arthur points out.

"Well . . . old one got snapped in an altercation with a particularly nasty . . . grindylow. Picked this one up in the States. New York. You know how modern those New York wizards are."

"Right. Very modern, those New Yorkers," Arthur answers. "What with their metal wands, huge, police box portkeys, and strange abilities to throw out accusations about horcruxes and what is and is not right about our world."

Rose looks around the room, taking in the shocked expressions of some of the wizards, and the suspicious ones of others. "Doctor . . ." she starts.

The Doctor, having gone back to examining Harry's scar, answers her, distracted. "Yes, Rose?"

Rose looks at Arthur, then at Molly, then at Remus, Charlie, and Hermione, who are all starting to move over to where the Doctor and Harry are. "Doctor – I think. I think, as the New Yorkers might say, the gig is up."

The Doctor looks up at the semi-circle of wizards that have drifted over to where he, Harry and Ron sitting on the floor. "Ah," he says.

"You have to understand," Arthur begins quietly, "we're all very protective of Harry."

"I do understand. But your war with Voldemort will never be over unless we get that horcrux out of Harry and destroy it," he says, quietly and intensely.

"Who are you?" Arthur asks.

"I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" Remus asks.

"Just the Doctor."

Rose raises her hand from her chair, and all eyes turn to her. "900-year-old, time-traveling alien. With two hearts." She pauses. "You get used to it."

"Alien?" Molly asks.

The Doctor stands, and Harry follows him. Ron looks worried. "Yes. And I may be the only person who can help you," he says quietly. "There are mistakes in this time, and large ones. Once, my people may have been able to fix them, but . . . that's not an option now. Now, I can only do the best I can to help Harry and prepare him to defeat Voldemort. Otherwise . . . the consequences could be disastrous."

"What if we don't need your help?" Arthur asks.

"You do," the Doctor answers.

Arthur starts to speak again, but Harry cuts him off. "Stop. I know you just want to protect me, and I . . . that means more to me than I can say. But the Doctor's right." Harry pauses, and looks at the Doctor. "I need to be able to defeat Voldemort. I need to find the horcruxes, and destroy them, and if one of them is inside of me, I need to destroy that one, too. I'm the only one who can stop Voldemort. Me. No one else. So if the Doctor says he can help, I'll let him. No one else is going to get hurt trying to protect me."

There is a deep silence in the room when Harry finishes. The Doctor gives him a small nod.

"What do you need?" Harry asks the Doctor.

"I need to know more," the Doctor says. "This is very dark magic, and the resources here are not enough. I'll need to find a place that has more information about this kind of magic, and a lot of it."

"I think I know where to go," Remus offers quietly.

***

After three days spent confined inside the library at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place with Remus, performing research and looking through book after book after book, the Doctor finally says, "Good bloody lord this place is _morbid_."

Remus looks over wryly from where he is searching one of the shelves for a book that has been indexed in the book he already has in his hand. "You're just now figuring this out?"

The Doctor grins. "Well, no. I knew that the moment we entered this particular pit of a domicile. I only just now got around to saying it."

"Must have been busy. Usually it's the very first thing people say."

"Well, I've been in some pretty bad places before this. Though not one with so many silver snakes, that's certain." The Doctor looks up from his book and scans the library. "And the curtains, those are dreadful. What did they think they needed to block out with those things? Certainly not just the ordinary sun."

"I don't know," Remus smiles. "There always has been that rumor about the Malfoys and vampires. Considering the pureblood inbreeding, there's got to be some of that in the Blacks."

"That thing with sunlight and vampires is just a myth," the Doctor says.

Remus looks at him.

"Well, on Nigelwqas it is, anyway," the Doctor corrects himself.

Remus pulls the book he was looking for off the shelf. "Should I even ask if that's true or not?"

"No, and it is." The Doctor smiles as he stands up and goes to examine the book Remus has found. " _Learning to Walk the Line: Magic of the Soul and Other Primal Energies_ ," he reads.

"Could be useful," Remus says.

"Indeed, at that," the Doctor replies, taking the book from Remus. He lets his fingers brush Remus' hand as he reaches for the book, and then lets them linger just a bit too long. He doesn't miss the slight flush that blooms on Remus' neck where his collar is open, and it makes the Doctor tilt his head.

Remus, almost as perceptive as the Doctor, doesn't miss the Doctor's scrutiny. He looks away, then looks back. "What?"

"You've been lonely for a long time," the Doctor says, softly. "I know something about that."

"I know you do. You learn to tell, in time," Remus says, equally quietly.

"Sometimes it's nice not to be alone, even just for a little while, isn't it?" the Doctor asks.

"I'm sure it is, but Doctor . . ." Remus trails off.

The Doctor steps closer. Remus' eyes briefly flutter shut involuntarily before he opens them even wider than before.

"I'm not sure this is appropriate . . . we're working . . . Harry . . ."

The Doctor leans in and kisses Remus, letting the book in his hand fall to the floor. Remus kisses back, losing his book, too, then hesitates, finally pulling away.

"I . . . I." Remus steps back. "It's just . . . been a long time since I've been with anyone."

"Since Sirius?"

Remus winces a bit at the name, but nods.

"Me, too," the Doctor says, though his eyes are darker than before.

"Since you've been with Sirius?" Remus asks, smiling a little.

The Doctor smiles in answer. "With anyone, like you."

"Rose?" Remus asks, and the Doctor looks away.

"Rose isn't . . ."

Remus raises an eyebrow.

"Rose isn't. Ready," the Doctor finishes, turning back to Remus, and Remus nods. "It wouldn't be . . . after I'm done here. It would only be for a little while," the Doctor adds. He thinks, waits a beat. "That's not really a selling point usually, though, is it?"

That makes Remus smile. "You might be surprised."

"I won't . . . I'll stop if you want me to," the Doctor says.

"I don't want you to stop," Remus replies.

The Doctor presses forward almost immediately, kissing Remus again, and this time Remus responds, opening the Doctor's mouth and letting the Doctor walk him back until he hits the bookshelf. Remus lets out a small noise of surprise at contact with the bookshelf, but lets the Doctor muffle it with kisses until the only thing even holding him up _is_ the bookshelf.

Remus tilts his head back and the Doctor takes immediate advantage of the opportunity, finding Remus' pulse point and sucking on it. Remus sighs as the Doctor moves his tongue around the back of Remus' ear, across his jaw, down his throat. The Doctor sucks again at Remus' collarbone, hard enough to leave a mark, and Remus' head bangs against the bookshelf so hard he sends a few volumes raining down around them.

Remus, struggling for breath now, works at the Doctor's shoulders, first scrabbling at them with his fingers, then pulling at the fabric, trying to take the Doctor's suit jacket off. He manages this only when the Doctor lifts his arms to work at the buttons of Remus' own shirt, and Remus pulls the jacket off quickly, hearing the fabric tear even over the sound of his own pounding heart. He finds the Doctor's mouth again, pulling the Doctor's shirt out of his waistband and sliding his palms up under the shirt and over the Doctor's chest. Remus smiles into the kiss when the Doctor shivers as Remus' hands slide over his belly. Remus moves his hands to the small of the Doctor's back, pressing his palms into the hollow curve there, forcing the Doctor's hips forward to meet his own. The Doctor hisses.

"Not all of you is completely alien, then," Remus manages into the corner of the Doctor's mouth, and he feels more than sees the Doctor's answering grin. Remus rocks his hips forward and the Doctor kisses him hard and fast before dropping down to his knees so quickly that Remus whimpers at the loss of contact.

The Doctor fumbles with Remus' belt for only a moment before it is open and the Doctor is pulling the belt out of the loops so fast the friction of belt against fabric makes a whistling sound. The same nimble fingers that had opened Remus' shirt now open his fly, and it's only a matter of seconds before the Doctor has managed to find Remus' erection and pull it out with those same fingers.

The Doctor makes a slightly triumphant noise and Remus looks down in time to see the Doctor fist his cock with one hand and gently pull his pants and boxers away with the other. Two quick pumps and then the Doctor leans forward, closes his eyes, and licks Remus' cock from base to tip before taking it in his mouth completely. Remus moans, closing his eyes, and his head falls back so quickly that he sees stars when it hits against the bookcase once more, bringing down even more books.

Remus' hands grip a shelf while he tries not to thrust into the Doctor's mouth, but the Doctor only leans forward even further, reaching up with his hands to grasp Remus' ass and pull Remus to him. A few more minutes and Remus comes with a cry, letting go of the bookshelf and gently running his hand through the Doctor's hair.

The Doctor stands up and grins, wiping at the corner of his mouth with his thumb before Remus puts his hand in the Doctor's hair once again, fisting the back and bringing the Doctor's mouth down on his in a bruising kiss. With his other hand, Remus reaches down and takes hold of the Doctor's cock through his pants; the Doctor moans and presses into the kiss further, as if in an effort to devour Remus. Remus responds just as eagerly until he needs to pull away slightly to breathe, all the while rubbing at the Doctor's erection through his pants.

Remus puffs out a few breaths against the Doctor's cheek before unbuttoning the Doctor's trousers and pulling the zip down, and reaching down to cup the Doctor's cock. Remus trails his fingers along the Doctor's cock for a few moments, tracing patterns and smearing the fluid at the tip with his thumb, using it to help coat his hand. The Doctor leans forward and breathes into Remus' ear, causing Remus to shiver and then wrap his fingers all the way around the Doctor's cock. The Doctor kisses Remus' ear and then whispers, directly into it, "You can bite me if you want. The lycanthropy was first alien in origin, and will not change my physiology. You can bite me."

And so, when the Doctor comes, Remus finds the Doctor's neck where it meets his shoulder, and does just that.

***

In the end, the spell they need is found in one of the books Remus accidentally knocked off the shelf, titled, of all things, _1001 Ways to Remove Any Spell_. The charm they use is number 829, and is surprisingly simple, requiring a candle for each year of Harry's life, a pentagram drawn in white paint, and a small bit of blood from Harry and his closest living relative. That last bit proves to be the trickiest part of the entire operation, and it ends up involving the Doctor, Rose, Petunia Dursley and one very embarrassing tea time in Little Whining. After their return, the Doctor shuts himself up in the TARDIS for nearly three hours, and Rose blushes every time she hears the words "lady fingers."

When the spell is complete, Harry's scar remains, and Remus Lupin is sweating and shaking from the effort of performing the charm, but for the first time in years, Harry feels hopeful.

That is enough for the Doctor.

***

Rose and the Doctor decide to leave the next day. They are once again standing on the soft grass outside of the Burrow, near the TARDIS. Rose is exchanging hugs with Ginny and Hermione, and a friendly sisterly jab with Ron, while the Doctor says his good-byes to the elder Weasleys.

"Be sure to look me up in a few years, now," Rose says.

Ginny grins and recites Rose's address with one hundred percent accuracy, and Rose presses a token for the tube into her palm. Rose takes her S.P.E.W. button from Hermione, and attaches it to her hoodie.

When Rose goes to say goodbye to Harry, she finds him standing a wee bit to the side, closer to where the adults are taking their leave of each other. He's looking at the TARDIS, the sunlight glinting off of his spectacles.

"It doesn't look that impressive, does it?" Rose says, coming to stand next to Harry, and Harry smiles.

"I didn't think wizarding tents looked impressive at first, either, but I learned eventually that some things don't match on the outside and the inside."

Rose nods, and for a moment she and Harry share companionable silence, listening to the talk and laughter of the others. Eventually Rose says, "He can't take you back, you know."

This time, Harry nods. "I know."

Rose looks at him sideways. "My dad died when I was a baby, and I wanted to see him. I asked the Doctor to take me back, and he did." She stops, decides how to start again. "It . . . wasn't good. I did some stupid things, and I was lucky not to end the world." She shakes her head.

"Was it worth it?" Harry asks softly.

"Sometimes I think so, even still. I learned my dad loved me, and that he was a hero."

Harry turns to look at her. "I already know those things about my mum and dad."

"Then maybe that's all you need to know," Rose says, and smiles.

"Maybe it is," Harry says. "Maybe it is."

Rose leans up to hug Harry, and gives him a soft kiss on the cheek. "You're coming to visit me, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it. You might hunt me down."

"You need a slap, you know that?" Rose asks, laughing.

The Doctor's voice cuts through Harry's own laughter. "Rose Tyler! We're leaving! Get on board before I go without you!"

Rose rolls her eyes, and laughs again. "Coming, Doctor," she calls, turning towards the TARDIS.

Before she walks away completely, Rose calls over her shoulder, "Oh, and get back together with Ginny, will you? She's too special to waste like that."

Harry blushes, but smiles when Ginny comes up to take his arm, and they both wave to Rose.

"Ready?" Rose asks, walking up to where the Doctor is waiting for her.

"I'm the one who was waiting for you to stop monopolizing Harry."

Rose rolls her eyes. "Whatever you say, Doctor."

"Excellent! Just the words I've been waiting to hear from you, Rose Tyler!"

"You could use a slap, too," Rose replies.

"Oi! In the TARDIS with you!" The Doctor gestures over his shoulder with his thumb.

Rose smiles, but goes, stepping into the blue box.

The Doctor walks down to Harry, and, to Harry's surprise, hugs him. "Good luck, Harry Potter," the Doctor says.

"Er . . . thanks, Doctor," Harry answers, but he makes sure to tighten his arms just a little around the Doctor before he lets go.

"There's one more thing," the Doctor says. "I opened a locket for you that was in Grimmauld Place. I think you're going to need it."

Harry looks puzzled, but doesn't argue, just nods once. "Thank you. For everything."

The Doctor grins. "It's what I do," he says.

He puts his hands in his pockets and walks back to where Remus is standing. Remus smiles at him, and quirks an eyebrow.

"I suppose this is good-bye," Remus starts.

"It is," the Doctor confirms, smiling.

"Thank you for . . . a little while."

"It was, believe me, my pleasure," the Doctor says, causing Remus to laugh. The Doctor hugs him, drawing Remus close and kissing him gently by the ear. "Thank you for the time that it was," he whispers before pulling away.

Remus smiles, and nods.

The Doctor walks back up the hill toward the TARDIS, and he is one step inside before he turns back.

"Lupin?" he calls.

"Yes?"

"After I'm gone, look in your pocket."

Remus' eyebrows knit together, but he nods.

Then the blue doors close, and a second after that the grating sound of an old engine starts up, and the TARDIS slowly disappears.

Remus reaches into his right pocket, and finds a slip of paper. On the paper is written _Number 998_.

***

Later that evening, when Remus finds the book and looks up the spell, he sits quietly with it for a long time, then smiles.

 _Spell Removal #998: How to Unlock the Veil of Death._


End file.
